


This Isn't Dreamland

by inkyvendingmachine



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: (also i literally have no idea what other tags i should be using uhhhhhhhhh), (i know not yet but we'll get to why it's shoved into escape au don't worry), (just one way though), (like nothing fully but it's thought about a lot), Fake/Pretend Relationship, JDS Escape AU, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:07:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26476171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkyvendingmachine/pseuds/inkyvendingmachine
Summary: It's a different Coney Island Park!! hahaTechnically Adults but still not living adult lives, Joey takes Henry on one more youthful trip, heading out to Coney Island for a hot summer's day of enjoyment.aka my excuse to write some gay into the scandalous amusement park rides I read about for multiple hours on end around 3am one night.
Relationships: Joey Drew/Henry Stein
Kudos: 8





	This Isn't Dreamland

**Author's Note:**

> so, i haven't written fanfic in literally years, sorry if this is terrible. but it is what it is. 
> 
> two, i know technically the pavilion of fun wasn't built until later, but sue me, I needed some rides within it.
> 
> three, there's a sequel to this actually. the main reason i wrote this one is to write the part that comes after. it will show up... some day!! but it's Escape AU related so that's why I included the tag.

It was one of those rare weekends in the middle of the summer, when the air is moving just enough to cool you down but the sun still reminds you what month you're in. Standing without shade wasn't going to sweat your clothes off, but jumping into the water at a beach wouldn't be too cold either. 

A spry older teenage boy grabbed onto the bottom of the brand new fire escape that crawled up the side of an older brick apartment building of New York City, slipping up three flights before finding the window he was going to knock on had already been left open a crack. Of course, with the wind blowing like it was, airing out the room was an obvious course of action, but somehow he felt it was simply left open for him. Without hesitation, he grabbed the bottom and yanked it the rest of the way up, before climbing in just enough to sit on the still, feet dangling.

"You're here rather early," a boy of likewise age hummed from across the room, sitting at a desk that appeared to be the most expensive piece of furniture viewable. 

"No Henry, I'm right on time. Got any plans for today?" His feet did a few small silent kicks of excitement as he asked. Henry gave his desk a glance, before shrugging.

"Nothing as big as whatever you have in mind. Are you going to tell me about this adventure first at least?" The other teen just smiled, an answer shown in the glint of his eyes. Henry sighed and got up from his desk, pulling off his night shirt as he cracked open the room door just enough to yell into the living area. "Hey mom, do you need anything or can I go hang with Joey today?"

"You know you don't need to ask me anymore," she called back, "But don't you two dare climb down the fire escape again!" They both laughed as Henry kicked the door closed and continued changing out of his pajamas, getting ready for the day as Joey happily watched and chattered from the window sill. 

\-----

The streetcar was hot and crowded and loud as most of the riders were also on their way for a wild day or weekend of fun. Joey and Henry, both being courteous and young, found themselves standing squished towards the back, both holding onto a pole to keep from toppling into each other on every bump. 

“We’re lucky my mom gave me some money on the way out, I don’t think I could afford to go to Coney Island otherwise,” Henry chuckled, trying to find a comfortable way to lean against the bus seat for more stability without impeding on anyone's space. 

Joey, on the other hand, seemed a little more alright with just being pushed around with the rest of the bus. “You say like I didn’t plan all of this through! I’ve been saving up for quite a while, you know.”  
“You’ve been saving up? Were you planning on bringing someone else and she rejected you?” Henry laughed, casually putting his arm around Joey’s shoulders to help him stabilize after being shoved around once more by the rough rails.

“Henry,” Joey started with a slight laugh to a wavering tone, and then repeated with a new shot of confidence, “Henry! You’re my best friend! There’s nobody I’d rather spend a day baking in the sun with.” He let go of the pole and tossed his arm around behind his friend, clasping him on the back, feeling the heavier muscles on Henry’s shoulders and being reminded of the amount of manual labor he tended to help out with around his home, with his family.

“And we’re not going to be young forever. We need to take advantage of these days! Before we get distracted with planning out the rest of our lives.” The trolly hit another bump, a man in a suit in front of the two lost his balance slightly but remained standing thanks to the grab bar overhead, but it was enough to jostle the boys into holding each other a little closer to keep their own footing. Joey swallowed, his arm now dropped around Henry’s waist only to grab onto the pole again that was right next to him, looking out the window to see the horizon crowded with amusement park attractions. He was both glad and upset that they were soon to be arriving.

There were a few interesting things to note about this park. For one, it was the cheapest in the area. Two, Joey and Henry were both young enough to not be held to the same expectations as the older crowd that visited. Three, it was advertised as a family friendly park, which was a good enough excuse to turn a blind eye to anything. Thanks to a combination of all these qualities, there was hardly an inquiry made as Joey slipped onto the same riding horse as Henry, putting his arms around his friend and holding onto the handles up front. None of the other guys waiting in line had an issue with this as that meant more ladies for them to hug, and none of the girls had a problem due to Henry and Joey both looking rather small, and thus, not good racing material. Joey pressed himself a little closer to Henry as the regular jockey announcements started up.

Could he actually pull this off? “Ready?”

“Funny thing, Joey,” Henry mumbled, wearing a wide grin, “I have just discovered that I am perhaps… a little terrified of heights.”

“Oh, oh no, it’s too late for that now. Hold on tight,” Joey barely managed to say with an unseen wink, before the gates opened and the gravity powered rides were launched down the track. As all of the other horses eventually all flew past them, and Henry leaned back into him, the taller man was left thinking how 8th place was the best, since it meant they had the most time on this ride… but a slightly sour note remained as he watched the couples help each other off, knowing what he’d never had.

“How about that giant slide next?” Henry laughed, using Joey’s arms to help him get off the ride, legs shaky for just a moment but face clearly showing his enjoyment of such an experience. His bet had somehow paid off, and Henry was interested in it all… Joey’s distant look immediately turned into his classic, charming grin before they raced off to the tower across the way. 

Even if he’d never have what all the other couples here had, at least he’d have this day.

A giant dark slide, where at the bottom Joey fell into Henry’s lap, and the two scrambled to get out of the way before the next couple slammed into them. A tightrope walk where they shared a hand grip did finally conquer Henry’s fear and he slipped to fall on the padding below, and somehow Joey followed soon after, rolling into him. A long slide where Henry and Joey shared a single sack due to the overwhelming lines as the day started to really take hold; the first ride Joey had been nervous about again, as he had to wrap both his arms and legs around Henry in order to not fly off the back.

As the midday heat washed over them, they stopped for a quick bite to eat out of one of the rolling stalls before heading towards the Pavilion of Fun to get some shade. Instead of going through the normal sets of doors, the two attempted the challenge of walking through the spinning tunnel, getting their feet easily tangled with each other and having to scramble out at half height for fear of toppling over as soon as either of them stood up. The smaller rides within were easily chewed through by the two, until the human roulette was spotted.

For two guys who were well enough built, but also artists who had never touched a sports class if they could, it wasn’t predicted how intense they would get at being competitive over this ride. The first round Henry managed to hold on longer, and Joey got to help him up when he finally tumbled out. The second round Joey climbed over people to get a better seat and easily won. A third round was declared, to decide a winner, to which Joey already knew he was too exhausted to win. So, instead of holding onto the ride, as the turntable started spinning Joey quickly switched his grip to hold onto Henry instead. If he was going down, they both were. It wasn’t long at all before the two were flung into one of the foam walls, and Joey found Henry kneeling over him.

Of course, if he had yanked Henry along with him, he’d end up with Henry on top of him. He wasn’t quite sure how he’d missed this calculation, and while his heart was screaming with joy, and his face was slowly heating with how close Henry’s face was, and the pit in his stomach turned into a boulder. All he wanted to do was reach up and kiss the man he had been in love for the last year… and he was being stabbed by a hundred prying eyes, and still being rotated on a ride he’s about to be either evicted from or crashed into by another person and… not dumb enough to ruin his best friendship with something as trivial as feelings. 

“You okay? You’ve been quiet for a while,” Henry asked, as he handed off a hotdog to Joey, who had been silent since getting out of the ‘Pavilion of Fun.’ Joey gave a smirk and a shrug, not taking the hot dog offered but the other in Henry’s hand and immediately having a bite. Henry just gave a soft chuckle and leaned up against the railing next to him. “You never really explained why we came out here today, you know? How long had you been saving up for this?”

“A few days actually.” This got Joey a knowing elbow into the side. “Alright, a few hours, I actually grabbed your piggy bank on the way out.” Another elbow, and the two of them laughed.

“Well, thank you. This has been the most fun I’ve had in awhile,” Henry said, giving Joey a smile before going back to finishing off his hot dog.

The other man also polished off his, not speaking until after he crumpled up the paper and made a decent shot into a trashcan not that far off. “Once we start working, once we start… having a life, families, whatever adults do, we’re not gonna have time for things like this. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life thinking ‘I never went to Coney Island’ while staring out some crummy office window.” He looked out over the slow setting sun. “... didn’t want my best friend to go through that either.”

“Honestly, I never even thought about Coney Island until today,” Henry replied, walking over to the trash can, not trusting his terrible aim to keep him from accidentally littering into the ocean. “But you’re right, it sure would have been a thing I’d regret years later.”

Joey nodded, staring down Henry’s profile as he talked. They’d spent a whole day together, practically doing things only couples did, and yet Henry hadn’t… said anything. Everything was completely normal. Nothing had changed, not even questioning Joey’s motives. What if he did kiss him, what then? Just get this over with, end the friendship now.

“... that being said,” Henry turned around, clapping his arm across Joey’s shoulders and pulling him into a side hug, causing the other to fluster at the sudden closeness, “If everything goes as planned, we won’t be looking out any crummy office windows. And there’s nobody I’d rather spend the rest of my life standing beside than Joey Drew.” 

This did cause Joey to burst out a laugh, breaking him from his stunned, red faced silence. “You’ve been reading my notes behind my back!”

“You go through my sketchbooks all the time, don’t play innocent.” They easily found themselves shoving back and forth in both snide comments and actual playful pushes, sprinkled with laughter between them. A true Boys Will Be Boys moment, one that Joey got delightfully lost in until the lights flickered on alongside the docks and Henry brought up how they should head on home before it gets too late.

That’s right, all good things must come to an end. But… just a little bit longer, he wanted to hold on to this moment, Henry close to him, practically in his arms, for a little bit longer.

“... Wheel.”  
“What?”

“Wheel,” Joey repeated, pointing a few piers over to where a giant, light clad wheel slowly turned. 

“... it’s really tall.”

“I’ll hold you if you’re that scared.” 

Henry laughed. “Fine fine, I will suffer one last contraption, just for you.”

They started walking towards the ride, and Joey found himself lost in his thoughts again. Somehow. Maybe… maybe this would all be alright actually. Maybe he could just… continue living like this, next to Henry, and everything will be alright as long as they continue having days like these.

“Last? What if… we do come back next year?” Joey cracked a slight smile remembering the conversation they already had, but also continued looking at Henry expectantly.

“Are you paying again?” He hummed, raising an eyebrow at the other. 

“Hell, I’ll pay for a trip every year, as long as you’re still letting me hang around. Best friends only, just you, me, thrilling machines and crappy hot dogs. I promise.”

Henry tapped on his chin, almost like a cartoon who really had to think this one out. 

“Well, you’ve never left me with the check before, so I don’t see why I actually have to agree when I can always count on it either way.” Joey made a face. “... but yeah, promise. Next year, I'm already looking forward to it.”

\-------

“To enquiring friends: I have troubles today that I had not yesterday. I had troubles yesterday which I have not today.” 

Words from a sign posted on the burning grounds of the very same park they visited the year before, which would unknowingly continue to be an omen for years to come.


End file.
